Her Private Hell: New Film by Nicolas Winding Refn in the Works

After almost a decade away from the big screen, cult director Nicolas Winding Refn is finally back – according to Deadline, a new film entitled "Her Private Hell" is in the works!

The thriller is being produced by US distributor Neon and features a young, talented cast: Charles Melton, known from "Riverdale" and the war movie "Warfare", takes on one of the leading roles. He is joined by Sophie Thatcher, celebrated for her role in "Yellowjackets" and the sci-fi film "Companion". Kristine Froseth and Havana Rose Liu are also part of the cast.

Although few details about the plot are known so far, according to industry insiders, "Her Private Hell" will thematically follow the dark, uncompromising direction for which Refn is famous. Known for style-defining works such as "Drive", "Only God Forgives" and the "Pusher" trilogy, Refn has focused on series formats such as "Too Old To Die Young" and "Copenhagen Cowboy" in recent years.

Filming is scheduled to begin in summer 2025, with a theatrical release in 2026 – a full ten years after Refn's last film "The Neon Demon". Whether his previously announced espionage thriller "The Avenging Silence" will also be realized remains to be seen.

Nicholas Winding Refn: The Radical Stylist of Modern Cinema

Nicholas Winding Refn, born on September 29, 1970 in Copenhagen, is one of the most unconventional and visually striking directors of our time. His films are often not classic narratives, but audiovisually composed atmospheres – characterized by neon colors, brutal violence and minimalistic dialogue. He loves the extreme, the disturbing, the meditative. His works are cinematic borderline experiences that are as fascinating in style as they are polarizing in content.

The Beginnings: The "Pusher" Cult

Refn's debut "Pusher" (1996) was made on a minimal budget and yet became a cult classic of the European gangster film. The rough, documentary style tells the story of the drug dealer Frank, played by Kim Bodnia. Its success led to two sequels: "Pusher II" (2004), in which Mads Mikkelsen shines as Tonny, and "Pusher III" (2005), which revolves around the ageing gangster Milo. This trilogy is considered a milestone in Danish cinema.

Early Experiments: "Bleeder" and "Fear X"

Between the first and second "Pusher" parts, Refn made "Bleeder" (1999) – a dark relationship drama with Mads Mikkelsen that once again explores violence and interpersonal abysses. He then ventured into an English-language mystery drama with John Turturro in "Fear X" (2003). The movie flopped financially, which almost ruined Refn – and forced him to return to the "Pusher" franchise. But "Fear X" is now regarded as an underrated psychological thriller with a David Lynch vibe.

The International Breakthrough: "Bronson", "Valhalla Rising" and "Drive"

Refn made a statement with "Bronson" (2008). The biographically inspired story about the British violent criminal Charles Bronson (played magnificently by Tom Hardy) is not a classic gangster film, but a surreal, theatrical study of masculinity, narcissism and madness.

This was followed by "Valhalla Rising" (2009) – an almost wordless, hypnotic Viking film with Mads Mikkelsen as a mute, one-eyed warrior. The movie is brutal, spiritual and visually extraordinary – a mixture of arthouse and mythology.

His greatest success came with "Drive" (2011). The neo-noir thriller starring Ryan Gosling as a taciturn stunt driver and getaway car pilot combined an 80s synth soundtrack, slow-motion violence and immaculate aesthetics. Refn won the directing prize in Cannes. "Drive" made him internationally famous and defined his visual style once and for all.

Radicalization of Style: "Only God Forgives" and "The Neon Demon"

Instead of repeating himself, Refn took an even more extreme path with "Only God Forgives" (2013). The film is a dark, visual poem about guilt, atonement and Oedipus complexes – carried almost entirely by images and symbolic violence. Critics were divided: some called it a masterpiece, while others found it overstylized and empty.

"The Neon Demon" (2016) was polarizing in a similar way. The fashion horror film about a young woman (Elle Fanning) in the superficial modeling world of Los Angeles is immaculately directed, but provocative in its narrative: beauty becomes a deadly weapon here. For some a feminist manifesto, for others a misogynistic spectacle.

The Series Format: "Too Old to Die Young"

In 2019, Refn created his most uncompromising work to date with "Too Old to Die Young", a 10-part Amazon series. The ultra-stylistic, ultra-slow narrative about moral decay, corruption and spiritual searching in the criminal milieu of L.A., starring Miles Teller, transcends classic series formats. The camera lingers in silence for minutes on end, violence is choreographed, dialog is minimal. An audiovisual drug trip.

Return to Europe: "Copenhagen Cowboy"

In 2022, Refn returned to his native Denmark with the Netflix series "Copenhagen Cowboy". The series mixes surreal elements with crime stories and is set in a gloomy, neon-soaked Copenhagen. The main character is Miu, a mysterious woman with psychic abilities. The series divides – again: between "cool work of art" and "abstract exercise in style".

Conclusion

Nicholas Winding Refn is not a middle-of-the-road director. His works are uncompromising, his aesthetic is cult, his approach to violence poetic and provocative. Those who love his films fall for them – those who reject them usually do so passionately. But it is precisely this extreme reaction that shows: Refn has got things to say, and he does so in his very own, radically personal way.